Immigration Dept arrests Pakistani man over alleged use of official

Photo courtesy of Malay Mail

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 10 — The Immigration Department detained a Pakistani man who is believed to have used the department's official logo and warning lights on a vehicle, less than 24 hours after a video of the incident went viral on social media.

Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the man was detained in a special operation conducted at 4.30pm yesterday at PV3 Platinum Hill Condominium, Setapak, following intelligence gathered from the viral video showing a vehicle bearing the Immigration Department logo being used by a foreign national.

Key details

He said an inspection at the premises also led to the detention of an Indonesian woman who was found to have overstayed in the country, as well as the discovery of two Indonesian passports believed to belong to other individuals, which were in the man’s possession.

“Preliminary investigations into the individual featured in the viral video found that the video was recorded in April 2025 and was only uploaded as a WhatsApp status by the individual's wife on August 7. The individual's wife is in Indonesia, and the video was uploaded while she was there,” he said in a statement here today.

Zakaria said the Pakistani man was detained for allegedly committing offences under Section 12(1)(f) of the Passports Act 1966 and the Immigration Act 1959/63, while the Indonesian woman was detained under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.

Why it matters in Malaysia

Zakaria said following the arrests, the operation team traced a Toyota Hilux, believed to be the vehicle featured in the viral video, to a car wash premises on Jalan Kuching, Kuala Lumpur.

He said the vehicle’s actual owner, also a Pakistani national, was arrested along with eight other foreign workers - four Bangladeshis, three Pakistanis and an Indian.

The vehicle owner is being investigated under Section 55B of the Immigration Act 1959/63, while the eight workers are suspected of offences under Section 6(1)(c) of the same law for not possessing valid travel documents.

Zakaria said preliminary investigations found that the video was recorded in April 2025 before being uploaded as a WhatsApp status by the man’s wife on August 7 while she was in Indonesia.

He said the vehicle owner admitted installing the logo and directional warning lights for personal use, without any official purpose, and claimed he was unaware that doing so was an offence. He also claimed that the logo and lights had been removed before the video went viral.

All those detained, together with the vehicle featured in the video, were taken to the Immigration office for further action and investigation. — Bernama

10 August 2026